Drummer&#39;s throne



Aug. 31, 1965 J, B. THOMPSON 3,23,657

DRUMMER'S THRONE Filed June 22, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 a f 0 (Q) l I INVENTOR. JOSEPHUS 5.71/oM so/v ATTORNEY i Aug 31, W5 J. B. THOMPSON DRUMMER'S THRONE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 22, 1964 l l himl I NVEN TOR. JOSEPHUS 5. 7740Mr 50- BY 1% A! ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,203,657 DRUMMERS THRONE Josephus B. Thompson, Covington, Ohio, assignor to Joseph Rogers, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio Filed June 22, 1964, Ser. No. 376,714 3 Claims. (Cl. 248-171) This invention relates to collapsible stools, and particularly to a drummers throne.

The primary object of this invention is to provide a stool having only three major parts, namely, a collapsible stand, a support rod rotatably mounted in a vertical plane on the stand, and a seat mountable on the upper end of the support rod.

Another object is to provide a drummers throne, of the type stated, Whose seat portion is completely adjustable as to height.

A further object is to provide such a throne whose seat height, once set, Will be maintained no matter how many times, or in what direction, the seat and its supporting rod may be twirled thereafter.

Another object is to provide a drummers throne whose seat is mountable on either end of its support rod, Whereby preset high or low positions may be attained by merely reversing the end of the support rod upon which the seat is mounted.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a drummers throne, of the type stated, having such interlocking engagement of the seat support rod and stand that the throne may be bodily lifted by the seat without disengaging the support rod from the stand, while at the same time permitting free rotation of the seat and rod, relative to the stand.

Another object is to provide a device of the type stated that is rugged in construction, stable and wobble-free,

yet easily dis-assembled and compacted for storage in a the throne stand, with the mounting rod and its supported seat removed therefrom;

FIGURE 3 is a side elevation of the dismounted seat support rod, showing the seat height positioning-clamp mounted thereon;

FIGURE 4 is a top plan view of the seat positioning FIGURE 5 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line and in the direction of the arrows 5-5 of FIGURE 4; FIGURE 6 is a front view, partly in section of the assembled throne, in the neighborhood of the seat locating clamp; and,

FIGURE 7 is a vertical sectional view showing the manner of locking the mounted seat to the support rod.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, there is seen in FIGURE 1 the assembled drummers throne that is the subject of the invention, broadly indicated by reference numeral 10.

The assembled throne comprises, essentially, three units, namely, a stand 18, a seat support rod 20, journaled upright in the stand 18, and a seat 45' mounted on the upper end of the support rod 20. These three elements being separable to form a compact package for storage.

The stand 18 comprises a rigid hollow shaft 13 adapted to receive the support rod 20 therein in free rotatable engagement.

3,203,657 Patented Aug. 31, 1965 ice The shaft 13 has an annular bearing surface 15 at its upper end and an annular peripheral groove, or track, 14, spaced downwardly therefrom, as is seen most clearly in FIGURE 2.

A fixed collar 17 is mounted on the shaft 13, below the track 14, and a second collar 16 is slidably mounted on the shaft 13 below the collar 17.

This collar is movable longitudinally of the shaft toward and away from the fixed collar 17.

Reference numeral 11 indicates three legs hingedly mounted, at their upper ends, on the fixed collar 17.

The legs 11 have hinged radial braces 12 mounted near their lower ends which are, in turn, hingedly con nected to the movable collar 16.

When the collar 16 is at the lower end of the shaft 13 the braces act to spread the legs apart to form a rigid tripod-like stand, with the upright shaft 13 centered therein, as seen in FIGURE 1.

When thecollar 16 is slid up the shaft 13, toward the fixed collar 17, the braces 12 act to pull the legs 11 inward into a collapsed position, parallel against the shaft 13, to provide a compact unit, for storage.

This condition is not illustrated, but this manner of collapsing a stand is well known, and forms no part of this invention.

Reference numeral 20 indicates a solid seat supporting rod which is of a diameter to be snugly nested and journaled in the hollow shaft 13, for free rotation in coaxial relation thereto.

The rod 20 is threaded, as at 21, for approximately half its length.

The threaded portion 21 has a seat groove 22 proximate its end.

The groove 22 has bounding end walls 24 and 25, at approximately 45 to the axis of the groove.

The unthreaded end of the rod 20 has a similar seat groove 23, with similarly angle end wall 26 and 27.

Both ends of the rod 20 have 45 tapered shoulders 28 and 29.

Reference numeral 31 indicates a rod positioning clamp, or bearing block, that engages the threads 21 of the rod 20, as seen in FIGURE 3.

The bearing block 30 has a threaded bore 31 which is adapted to engage the rod threads 21, and a smooth counter-bore 32, of a diameter to slidably fit over the end of the shaft, or column 13, as is seen most clearly in FIGURE 6.

The junction of the two bores defines an annular hearing shoulder, or seat, 33, as seen in FIGURE 5.

The bearing block 30 has a slot 34 cut at 90 to its axis, across the end of the threaded bore 31, at the shoulder 33, to define an upper threaded clamp ring and a lower bearing cap made up of the shoulder 33 and the smooth bore 32, which fit over the upper end of the column 13, as seen in FIGURE 6.

A latterly extending lug is cut in two by a radial slot 35 to define two clamp ears 36 and 37, as seen in FIG- URES 4 and 5.

The slot 35 creates a split threaded ring whose diameter can be made smaller by pulling the ears 36 and 37 together by means of a headed clamp bolt 39, which passes through ear 37 and engages a threaded bore 38 in ear When the so joined clamp and rod are inserted in the stand column 13, as shown in FIGURE 6, the smooth bore 32 of the clamp fits over the upper end of the column 13, with the shoulder 33, resting on the bearing seat 15, at the top end of the column.

The so journaled rod 20 is free to rotate in the column bore, supported by the clamp 30 which acts as a bearing block.

The thumb screw 40 is tightened, to move it into the groove, or track 14, of the column 13. The screw 40 does not touch the inner surface of the groove 14, but merely acts as a guide pin to prevent vertical movement of the clamp 30, leaving it free to rotate.

Thus the rod 20 is free to rotate in the bore of the column 13 but is restrained from separation from the stand 18.

Looking at FIGURE 7 there is seen the mounting section of the seat 45, which comprises a mounting block 47 centered on the underside of the seat chassis 46.

The block has a vertical bore centered "therein with a 45 tapered shoulder 52 proximate its upper end. A case-hardened insert 48 is adapted to snugly receive the end of the rod 20.

A thumb screw 50 is threadedly mounted at an upward inclined angle of approximately 45 in a bore 49, to

engage and seat in endgroove 22 of rod 20. The interaction of the end of screw 50 and the beveled shoulders 24 and 25 of the groove 22 cause the 45 tapered shoulder 52 of the seat 45 to be pulled down and snugly fitted against the 45 tapered shoulder 28 of rod 20.

This provides a firm non-wobbling, connection between the seat 45 and the rod 20. his of course to be understood that the seat 45 canbe similarly mounted on the other end of the rod 20 through engagement with the rod groove 23.

To assemble the throne 10, illustrated'in'FIGURE l, the following procedure is followed:

The stand legs 11 are extended to form a tripod with the upright column centered therein.

The end 28 of rod 20 is inserted in the seat chassis sleve 48, pushed against the bore seat 52, and locked in place by means of the thumb screw 50, as shown in FIGURE 7.

The rod 20 is then inserted in the column 13 with the clamp shoulder 33 seated on the column top bearing surface 15, with its bearing wall 32 fitted over the outside of the column 13 over the groove 14, as seen-in FIGURE .6.

The thumb screw 40 is rotated into thearea of the track 14. The so mounted seat 45 is free to,twirl about without achange in its height adjustment. Atthe same time the throne may be lifted by the seat 45 without separation of the rod 20 and the stand 18.

If change in the height of the seatl45 is desired it is done by loosening the clamp bolt 39 and holding the clamp 30 stationary while the seat and its supporting rod 20 arerotated either clockwise or counter-clockwise to lower or raise the seat.

When the desired height is attained, the clamp bolt 39 is relocked to maintain the clamp and rod as a single unit.

Thereafter, the seat may be freely twirlled without change in height.

It will be seen that this construction provides three bearing surfaces between the seat support rod 20 and the stand column 13. The rod is (l) journaled in the bore ofcolumn 13, (2) journaled on the top bearing surface '15 of the column 13 through the clampshoulder 33, and (3) journaled on the outer surface ofthe column 13 through clamp bearing bore 32. Thus the rod 20 is held firmly against any lateral or tilting motion, while being free to rotate in a vertical plane as it supports the 'seat 45.

Reference numeral 51 indicates two wing nuts on the underside of the seat chassis, which form no part of the invention, but are available for attaching a backrest to the seat 45.

To obtain the added height needed by bass or tympani, or conductor, the seat is removed and the rod 20 reversed in the column, and the-seat then re-attached to the rod at its end 29, which will then be uppermost.

For take down, simply loosen thumb nuts 40 and 50. Legs 11 fold compactly, seat 45 separates from rod 20, and the rod 20 may be pulled out of the column 13.

The height adjustment of the seat 45 is not lost through dis-assembly, and is re-established automatically when the thone is =re-assembled.

The inter-action of the inter-lock thumb screw 40 and the column track 14 permits the throne 10 to be lifted by its seat 45 without detachment of the stand 18, while at the same time always leaving the seat free to twirl.

It will now be clear that there has been provided a device which accomplishes the objectives heretofore set forth.

While the invention has been disclosed in its preferred form, it is to be understood that the specific embodiment thereof as described and illustrated herein is notto be considered in a limited sense, as there may be other forms or modifications of the invention which should also be construed to come within the scope of the appended claims.

'I claim:

1. A drummers throne, comprising .in combination, a base member including a tubular vertical column centered therein, open at the top, .the column having an annular bearing surface at the upper end thereof and a peripheral circular track cut in the outer face thereof, spaced downwardly of said bearing surface; a threaded support rod telescopically journaled in the column, for free rotation therein; a seat detachably mounted onthe upperend of the support rod; a bearing block co-axially mounted on the support rod intermediate the ends thereof, thebearing'block'having an annularbearing seat adapted to ride onthe columnendbearing surface, and an abutting cylindrical sleeve adapted to snugly fitover the end ,of the column ina running fit and cover the track thereat; threaded clamp means formed integral with the bearing block for locating and locking the bearing block at adjusted positions lengthwise of the rod to determine the height of the supported seat above'the base; and, an interlock pin mounted in the bearing block sleeve, extending into the column track, and adapted to prevent relative longitudinal movement between the rod and column, while permitting free relative rotation therebetween.

2. A drummers throne as defined in claim 1, and further distinguished by the bearing block having a threaded bore adapted to receive the threaded support rod therethrough; the bearing block also having a laterally extending lug with radial slots cut therethrough and thereunder, which intersect the threaded bore to define two spaced ears adapted to be drawn together in clamping engagement by a locking bolt mounted therebetween, to immovably clamp the block to the rod; the block also having a smooth counter bore, of a diameter to fit over the endof thebase column, in a running fit, and of a length to cover the column track; the shoulder at the base of the counter bore defining a bearingseat adapted toride on the annular end bearing surface ofthe column; and, a threaded interlock pin radially mounted through the counter-bore wall and adapted to bemoved into the plane of the counter-bore, at the track, to loosely engage the column track when the bearing block is seated on top of the column to prevent relative longitudinal movement between the rod and column, while leaving the rod free to rotate therein.

5 3. A drummers throne as defined in claim 1, and further distinguished by the seat support rod having seat engaging means at both ends thereof, whereby the rod may be reversed in the column to support the seat at either end.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 564,741 7/96 Dunn 28758 6 702,589 6/02 Rast 28758 876,023 1/08 Schurger et a1. 108128 1,650,102 11/27 Tschappat 28758 5 CLAUDE A. LE ROY, Primary Examiner. 

1. A DRUMMER''S THRONE, COMPRSING IN COMBINATION, A BASE MEMBER INCLUDING A TUBULAR VERTICAL COLUMN CENTERED THEREIN, OPEN AT THE TOP, THE COLUMN HAVING AN ANNULAR BEARING SURFACE AT THE UPPER END THEREOF AND A PERIPHERAL CIRCULAR TRACK OF CUT IN THE OUTER FACE THEREOF, SPACED DOWNWARDLY OF SAID BEARING SURFACE; A THREADED SUPPORT ROD TELESCOPICALLY JOURNALED IN THE COLUMN, FOR FREE ROTATION THEREIN; A SEAT DETACHABLY MOUNTED ON THE UPPER END OF THE SUPPORT ROD; A BEARING BLOCK CO-AXIALLY MOUNTED ON THE SUPPORT ROD INTERMEDIATE THE ENDS THEREOF, THE BEARING BLOCK HAVING AN ANNULAR BEARING SEATE ADAPTED TO RIDE ON THE COLUMN END BEARING SURFACE, AND AN ABUTTING CYLINDRICAL SLEEVE ADAPTED TO SNUGLY FIT OVER THE END OF THE COLUMN IN A RUNNING FIT AND COVER THE TRACK THEREAT; THREADED CLAMP MEANS FORMED INTEGRAL WITH THE BEARING BLOCK FOR LOCATING AND LOCKING THE BEARING BLOCK AT ADJUSTED POSITIONS LENGTHWISE OF THE ROD TO DETERMINE THE HEIGHT OF THE SUPPORTED SEAT ABOVE THE BASE; AND, AN INTERLOCK PIN MOUNTED IN THE BEARING BLOCK SLEEVE, EXTENDING INTO THE COLUMN TRACK, AND ADAPTED TO PREVENT RELATIVE LONGITUDINAL MOVEMENT BETWEEN THE ROD AND COLUMN, WHILE PERMITTING FREE RELATIVE ROTATION THEREBETWEEN. 